The Summary
I will use this page as a headquarters in my transfer from solo- to wiki of my project to summarize the Great War. In short, it intends to be nothing less than a full description of the Great War and its background. The War being what it is, a detailed summary easily gets cluttered, and information which at one time is taken for true is later subverted or reinterpreted. Further, as scale and time is somewhat flexible, it should also be explained that I, for now, use mostly myself and my earlier efforts in this line to organize and make sense of the War. This summary will, no doubt, have to be written and re-written extensively, and if ever coming up to the "present" will still hardly be "completed" or "definite". Further, I haven't a very good insight in the wiki - I know there's lots of information added in here, that has not been mentioned in the forum. While I will definitely appreciate feedback, I would also ask that others do not edit too much, before I have had a chance to transfer all of my earlier material into this medium - which will take a while to compile - and to do some formatting of it. For now, the summary will not be using any information added after April 2011. A note on chronology: as this is all very much so up in the air, I will use a mix of two systems of my own devising, which will no doubt prove impossibly confusing to everyone but me. It will be phased out eventually, one hopes. Suffice to say that I wrote originally in a "short", compressed timeline, by which the days of the War have been numbered; but that I later on stretched that timeline to fit a longer timeline. This because I felt the original timeline was too rushed and not very realistic in terms of scale and the medieval pace of things. The timestamps are anyway mostly helpful for organizing the thingiemabob. And if you think this intro was long, just wait until you see what's coming down below... Age of Myths (forming of the world to -2200 b.S.K.) In the beginning In a mythical age before the forming the world, or perhaps after, the Four undimmed forces of life walked the earth. And all who saw them amazed at the glory of their inspiring existence. Yet a time came when they chose to Slumber, and a Veil was put over the world, and will remain until the prophecied Awakening. And this they did because they saw that by their light, they dimmed the world around them, and this was not as they wished. Therefore they chose to Slumber, and let each find their own way and not be influenced by them. Yet come Awakening the Meanings will once again be made manifest in the world, and the faithful will reap what they have sown, and the fallen ones will see the emptiness of their idols and suffer. Also, the titan Tyr gave his turned-human son Wotan the spear Gungir. According to myth. The Empires and their Fall At the very dawn of elven civilization, there rose the Kelani Empire, protected by D'vorjakque the Lieutenant of Zinine. And the city of Queen Aszune was great, and its beauty a wonder to behold. However, when the great and peaceful warlord Men'nuth of a trollish tribe that had worshipped Mnesthes since time immemorial died, his son Men'heva ascended to the throne. And Men'heva was ordered by Xaxion Drak'eem, Son and Prophet of the Viridian God, First of the Lieutenants of the Four, to destroy the Kelani. The war they fought was great and bloody and brought ruin to both nations. And when Men'heva in the end looked out over the wasted ruins of fabled Kalidar, he saw that by following Xaxion, he had doomed all that he had loved, and brought destruction upon the followers of the Four. And he swore vengeance. Then he was joined by D'vorjakque, who had preserved the heart of his beloved Queen, and they were united in their hatred of Xaxion Drak'eem. Now there were other Empires of the Four in the old world, and the Mezejin Imperium was governed by Xostheron the Lieutenant of Muhar, and by Xaxion's instigations they fought many and bloody wars with the faithful of Brux, led by Akaerna-Sagai, and what few followers there were left of Mnesthes and Zinine. And often these wars would center around Ythan'alai, a great and holy city. And these wars continued until all the faithful of the Four were all but destroyed by one another or subjected to other races. And when the Sundering came, it was all Xostheron could do to shield Ythan'alai, where he dwelled with a few faithful trollish tribes. The Dark Ages In the chaos that followed the Sundering, Men'heva and D'vorjakque, who had granted the former immortality by his own power, retreated to the dark corners of the world, far from the eyes of Xaxion Drak'eem, for he ever pursued them as they were rebellious against him. Now these two sought to amass a following against him, but as soon as they succeeded, they were scattered by his great strength. But even as this happened, Xostheron and Akaerna-Sagai had overcome their differences, for they finally saw that their long enmity had in part been the fault of Xaxion Drak'eem. And now these two asked the question: "why do our masters sleep?" And Xaxion told them, as he had done for a long time, "they sleep for they wish to be forgotten, so that their meanings may become more true to those that discover them in their own hearts". But they did no longer believe in him. Thus Xostheron and Akaerna-Sagai rose in rebellion against Xaxion Drak'eem, and great and furious was the war which they wreaked against him in Ythan'alai. And they had joined with the Black Dragons, and wrought terrible machines of war, which they had fuelled by the sacrifice of a tribe called the Urubori which lived nearby. These they controlled with the secrets of the Tome of Eternety, writ in the blood of their draconid allies. Yet Xaxion, who was joined by the Red Flight, fought them until neither of them could fight any longer; and Xostheron and Akaerna-Sagai were destroyed, and Xaxion Drak'eem lost his physical form. Now their war had waged a very long time, and many had come to witness it, and came there thereafter to visit great Ythan'alai. And these were blessed with the blood of the gods, and were given the gift of prophecy. And there were some among them who thought that Xaxion Drak'eem fought justly, and these became the Archivists, and there were some who wished to revive Xostheron and Akaerna-Sagai, and these became the Chancellors. Now Men'heva and D'vorjakque had built a great fortress in the south they called Karazhan, and Men'heva entered the world again, and he styled himself as the Prophet of Mnesthes. He preached for a long time to revive the Faiths of the Four and he intended to bring about their Awakening and their judgement of Xaxion Drak'eem. And the Chancellors, who had seen the future and feared what may come, joined him, and as did many others. Yet still some remained who listened to the voice of Xaxion, and all of them suffered greatly when the humans wrought the religion of Lightism against them. Age of Legends (-2200 to -600 b.S.K.) The Troll Wars As the Lieutenants of the Four had fought their long war, so had the Elven race long battled the Trollish one. Now their kingdom of Quel'thalas was flailing under their new king Anasterian, and they looked to the human tribes for aid. So they allied themselves with the chieftain of an Arathi tribe, his name was Thoradin. To his followers they taught Men the art of arcane sorcery, and thus was formed the Crimson Cabal. Also was at this time the Council of Tirisfal founded, and in both these orders was one who called himself Meryl Winterstorm; and he was one blessed with immortality many years ago at Ythan'alai. So great was his power, and Xaxion Drak'eem's stock in him, that even as he was slain in combat he was brought back to animation. So was the Troll turned back, and Thoradin was made king of all men. And it was about this time that the Archivists and the Chancellors were split, and also now that the Faith of the Light reached ascendancy among Men. The one who called himself Meryl was of the Archivists, but supported the Chancellors in secret. The Empire of Arathor The Empire of Arathor grew very great and across all of Lordaeron, and south to the mountains of Khaz Modan. In one place they would build garrisons, and in another they made puppet kings, and in another they would send their own colonists, so that they soon were Emperors of Man. And they founded Stormwind in the south, and they built Ginchar in the west, and trod tracks through the wilderness of the North all the way to the Evergreen Forest. But in time, there were those who tired of the Emperors' reign. And knowledge of the Arcane spread from the Crimson Cabal, and many who would learn the mysteries of the arcane left the Crimson Cabal and founded their own order in the west. And in mountainous regions chieftains would declare themselves with no master, and in populous places the local lords would grow so powerful as to heed no master. The New Kingdoms and Quel'thalas And now the faiths of the Four were once again woken, and the Chancellors had written their great prophecy, the Scroll of Lore. And what they learned of the future made them very afraid, and they called the path the world was on the Dark Histories, which they resolved to change. And they found in the mountains of Alterac the lords Kravekat and chose to breed into them the blood of the gods, so that Xostheron and Akaerna-Sagai might once again enter the world. This they knew would be a very lengthy endeavour, yet they persevered in their task, as among them were some of very long life dedicated to the task. The Archivists went to Dalaran, and they promised not to interfere with the doings of their once-comrades or the world, and shut their prophecies away where none might see them. And the Empire of Arathor grew weaker, and new Kingdoms were declared. By this time there were many elves in Quel'thalas that had grown weary with their King Anasterian. For the lords of the Elven race lived long lives in luxury, while there were many who were slaves for short and sorry lives. And these ones listened to the words of the Prophet, and among them rose leaders such as Yol'tithian to champion their cause against the Lightists. Historic events (-600 b.S.K. to -330 b.S.K.) s -330 b.S.K. (religious schisms deepen) Civil wars in Lordaeron and Gilneas signal the religious schisms. By the end of the year, Javali sacks the Archives, DeMeza has a major setback in Zul’Dare, and the Battle of Ambermill pits Lordaeron against Dalaran. Sherman defeats the Maroon March, but discontent is still widespread. The dwarves sail without leadership while Skirvar looks for allies in Lordaeron, winding up with Dalaran; the trolls slowly unite, while the elves disintegrate. Stromgarde quells the Freedom Movement in its northern provinces. Mysteries are dredged up by Caer Darrow. Bergan has returned and the Chancellors prepare themselves. -329 b.S.K. (the Great War begins in earnest) Fenris Summit commence, long negotiations dragged out over months trying to settle the simmering disputes. In the end, the troubles are only exacerbated. Phorcys returns to Kul Tiras and instigates the Pogrom, driven vengeful by his son’s death. Lightist nations gather in Lordaeron City, where the fifty Esraim are anointed. Jintha’alor falls, dislodging the Ancient Egg from its safety. Plans are made to deal with Alterac, instigated and aided by the Tirisfalen. Alterac City falls in the autumn, and the Chancellors are seemingly defeated, replaced with Krowl. Jin’thek deals Hakkar a blow in the south. By both events, Men’heva is strengthened. In Arathor, religious unrest lead Dorath to arm for war and invade Hesperia. In early winter, Sherman march south and defeats Marius at the Battle of the Fords of Silverpine. Trolls invade Quel’thalas in spring, and the elves seemingly unite against the common threat. However, the Benefactors betray the alliance and Silvermoon falls by the end of the year. In Gilneas, Sorsbrent grows strong and begins to threaten Baldanes’ rule in Ginchar. -328 b.S.K. (the Four ascendant) Relgast is made highthane of the dwarves. Travot manages to get Stormwind involved in the war. Baldanes’ Azures are defeated at Zanzifos, preventing D’vorjakque’s attempt to be summoned, and the Scroll travels south. Arinre becomes Queen of Gilneas, and protects her Azure subjects, driving her Lightist nobles to mutiny. The Benefactors ally themselves with dissenting Arathorians, leading to the Fall of Stromgarde. Arathor descends into chaos. Lordaeron City falls to Andol Corin with his Dalaranese allies. Alford seeks refuge in Alterac, but is betrayed and taken captive. Sherman marches into a burned Hesperia, burns what’s left, and lays siege to Venege, which is stormed with great casualties in early summer. Javali organizes a counter-invasion on the east front in the spring, and the homeless Arathorians are driven away. In Sorsbrent, a host of lightists following DeMeza defeats Phorcys in the beginning of the year. They invade Kul Tiras. Stromgarde, heartened by Kul Tiras’ setbacks, attacks as well, inconclusively. Zul’dare is awakened, and Xalmor and Periandrius are made Xaxion’s new prospective champions. Men’heva pits the Zul’dare Esoteric Order against Kul Tiras, and the Invasion Fleet is dispatched. -327 b.S.K. (present) s Alternative way of looking at it: story arcs, across locations Time tentative, but still. In due time I'll add my per'snal sum-up of each story arc, created as a byproduct when making the timeline. 0 S.K. Stormwind King's reckoning is begun; King's Calendar, from WC2 manual or maybe WC1. May mark the rule of the Wrynn, or generally Stormwind's independence. Placing the Great War about -300 before Stormwind-King-calendar years puts it 1000 years the past from present WoW-time. Which is how it's been mentioned before; but really, considering how similar the world is, it doesn't make much sense. More likely +300. Unless it's all blamed on the changing of the world by the inclusion of the Four, of course.. 592 S.K. (The First War of Orcs and Humans... or, Age of Men'heva) s Or, real-time calendar Let's sum up by real-time and game location. Check out them tables... for speed, I only looked at info from every 2nd page in 40-post view. Category:Events